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AID aims to raise $125K at telethon

By NICOLE WESKERNA -
nweskerna@shawmedia.com

March 13, 2013

SUGAR GROVE – The list of people waiting for services from the Association for Individual Development has grown to more than 1,250, and AID leaders hope a telethon will raise enough money to serve them.

AID already serves 5,000 people in Kane and Kendall counties, providing assistance to those with developmental disabilities and mental illnesses. It also assists those in crisis, said Kathy Hazelwood, vice president of marketing and development for AID.

The organization’s goal is to raise $125,000 at its 14th annual telethon Saturday. The event will be in the auditorium at Waubonsee Community College in Sugar Grove. Hazelwood said 90 cents out of every dollar raised during the telethon – the group’s biggest fundraiser of the year – goes toward providing programs and services to those in need. Services and programs range from providing transportation and behavior health to housing and crisis intervention.

Several local television stations will broadcast the live telethon, which is slated to last 10 hours. Hazelwood said local talent will take the stage throughout the day, and some local government officials will make an appearance.

Hazelwood said she hopes to hit this year’s goal so the organization can expand its more than 20 programs and services to the long list of people in need – especially those on the waiting list.

“We hope to raise $125,000. We’re optimistic,” she said. “That’s what we really need to keep some services going.”

Hazelwood said it takes hundreds of volunteers to put on the telethon, which includes at least 200 phone operators and another 200 people showcasing talent or working behind the scenes. She said sponsors also make the telethon happen.

“We have some great sponsors. We’re always appreciative to them,” she said. “That gives us money to get off the ground.”

She encourages people to stop by the Waubonsee Community College auditorium, tune in on television or watch the event stream live online at www.the-association.org.

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